Fastening-inserting machine



H. R. RUHR ETAL FASTENING- INSERTING MACHINE May 20, 1941.

Filed April 50, 1940 Patented May 20, 1941 FASTENING-INSERTIN G MACHINE Heinrich R. Ruhr and Karl Siihnle, Frankfort-onthe-Main, Germany, assignors to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey 7 Application April 30, 1940, Serial No. 332,532 In Germany March 23, 1940 9 Claims.

This invention relates to fastening-inserting machines and is herein illustrated as applied to a machine of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,815,295, granted July 21, 1931, upon an application of George Goddu, for driving fastenings to fasten shoe uppers in lasted position. It is to be understood, however, that in its more general aspects the invention is not limited to a machine of the particular type illustrated nor to machines for operating upon shoes.

Machines of the character disclosed in the above-mentioned Letters Patent comprise in their organization a driver for driving fastenings, such as staples, from a guiding nozzle through the shoe upper materials and into an insole to fasten the upper to the insole and a deflector for engaging the legs of each staple to curve different portons of the legs successively in the driving operation before the different respective portions enter the shoe and thus to cause them to follow curved paths such as to anchor them effectively in the insole without necessarily penetrating entirely through the insole. The present invention, in one aspect, provides a novel construction such that better insurance is afforded that the staple or other fastening used will be driven into the work with its head portion pressed firmly against the Work after it has been curved to a predetermined extent in the driving operation- As applied to an organization such as illustrated, in which the legs of the staple are curved by engagement with a deflector opposite to the outlet end of the staple-guiding nozzle, the invention provides means for moving the deflector out of defleeting position prior to the completion of the operative movement of the driver to permit the driver by continued engagement with the crossbar of the staple to embed it in the work. The staples are thus driven in the best possible manner to insure their maximum holding power and, moreover, with the crossbars of the staples embedded in the work, any danger of damage to the crossbars in a subsequent operation on the shoe, such, for example, as an upper-roughing operation, is substantially avoided. Preferably, and in accordance with a further feature, the means for moving-the deflector out of staple-deflecting position is arranged to be operated by the driver-operating means, the construction 'shown comprising a lever swingable to lift the deflector out of the path of. movement of the driver, a wedge for thus swinging the lever near the end of the operative movement of the driver, and a member movable with the driver-operating means for operating the wedge. Conveniently, this member is adjustable to vary the time in the operation of the driver when the deflector is lifted to release the staple to the further action of the driver.

The novel features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of. parts, will now be more particularly described by reference to the accompanying drawing and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view in left-hand side elevation of a portion of the head of the machine in which the invention is embodied, showing the parts as they appear when a staple is partially driven;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. l; a d

Fig. 3 is a View in side elevation on an enlarged scale of a portion of the structure shown in Fig. l, but showing the parts in the positions they occupy at the end of the staple-driving operation.

Since the general organization of a machine of the type illustrated is fully shown and described in the previously mentioned prior Letters Patent, it is only necessary to refer herein to the construction and manner of operation of certain instrumentalities which are closely associated with the work on which the machine operates. It will be understood that a machine of this type is provided with a gripper (not herein shown) which pulls the upper materials over the last andinsole successively in different 10- cations along the edge of the shoe bottom as the operator presents the shoe in positions deter,- mined by a sole rest l0 and a side gage l2. In time relation to the pulling of the upper in each location, a staple is driven from a guiding nozzle M by a driver It to fasten the upper to the insole. As the staple is driven, its legs are engagedby a deflector l8, the lower end of which is positioned opposite to the end of the nozzle I l, the deflector acting to curve different portions of the legs successively before the difierent respective portions enter the shoe to cause the legs to follow curved paths such as to anchor them effectively in the insole without entirely penetrating through the insole.

The driver It, the deflector l8, and other parts associated therewith are carried by a slide 20 mounted on a guiding member 22 for forward movement in a downwardly inclined path. In predetermined time relation to each upperpulling operation, the slide 20 is moved forwardly to carry the nozzle l6 and the other parts associated therewith inwardly over the shoe bottom to lay the margin of the upper over the insole, whereupon the staple is driven and the slide 2!] is then retracted .to its starting position. As disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,815,295, the driver It is fastened to a driver slide 24 which is movable in a guideway formed in a bracket 28 secured to a forward extension of the slide 28. The driver slide 24 is operated by a lever 28 which is pivoted on a stud 30 on the forward extension of the slide 20 and carries a lug 32 which extends into a recess in the driver slide. The lever 28 is operated by a bell-crank lever 34 which is pivoted on a rod. 36 on the slide 28 and is operated in turn by a torsion spring 38 (Fig. 1). A forwardly. extending arm 40 of the bell-crank lever 34 carries a roll 42 which operates in a cam slot 44 in the lever 28, the cam slot being so formed that staple-driving movement is imparted to the lever 28 by upward movement of this arm. It will be understood that the lever 34 is swung in a direction to retract the driver I6 and to tension the spring 38 in response to the forward movement of the slide 20 by the engagement of a latch 48 with the lower end of a plate 48 fast on a downwardly extending arm 58 of the bell-crank lever 34, and that means is provided which is substantially the same as that shown in the previously mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,815,295 for operating thelatch to release the bell-crank lever 34 to the action of the spring 38 after the slide 28 has completed its forward movement.

As also disclosed in the previously mentioned Letters Patent No. 1,815,295, the deflector I8 is mounted on a pivot pin 52 for turning movement to vary the distance between the portion thereof that engages the legs of the staple and the points where the legs emerge from the end of the staple nozzle I4, and thus to vary the degree or radius of curvature imparted to the legs in the driving operation, the position of the deflector being determined by an eccentric 54 (Fig. 1) on a shaft 58 which is carried by the slide 20 and is mounted for turning movement to adjust the eccentric. By reference to Fig.1, it will be seen that the eccentric 54 bears on an arm 58 formed on the deflector I8 and thus limits movement of the deflector about the axis of the pin 52 in a direction to increase the distance between its lower end and the outlet end of the nozzle I4 and, accordingly, to increase the radius of curvature of the staple legs. It will be understood that the arm. 58 is forced against the eccentric by reason of the pressure applied to the deflector in the staple-driving operation, and there is sufficient friction tending to prevent the deflector from turning about its axis to cause it to maintain any position determined by the eccentric.

For purposes of this invention, the illustrated machine is provided with means for moving the deflector out of staple-deflecting position near the end of the operative movement of the driver to permit the driver, by continued engagement with the crossbar of the staple, to press the crossbar firmly against the work so as partially to embed it in the work. This means comprises a lever 60 which is pivotally connected at 62 to a bracket 64 secured to the slide 20 by screws 6-3 (Fig. 2) and is provided with a forwardly extending arm 68 carrying the pivot pin 52 for the deflector I8. The lever 60 has a rearwardly extending arm 78 carrying a pin 12 between which and a pin I4 in the slide 20 there extends a spring I6 which acts normally to hold the lever 60 in engagement with an adjustable stop illustrated as a screw I8 carried by the slide 20.

When the lever 60 is in engagement with the stop 18 its lower end of the deflector I8 is opposite to the outlet end of the nozzle I4 in position to engage the legs of the staple in the driving operation, Movable in a guideway in the bracket 64 is a slide 82 the forward end of which is formed as a wedge 84. The slide 82 is recessed to receive a spring 86 which is connected at one end to a pin 88 in the slide and at the other end to a pin 90 carried by the bracket 64. The spring 88 tends normally to hold the slide 82 in a retracted position determined by the engagement of a projection 92 on the slide with a shoulder 94 on the bracket 64.

At a predetermined time in the operation of the driver I6 and preferably near the end of the operative stroke of the driver, the slide 82 is moved forwardly against the resistance of the spring 86. As the slide 82 is thus moved, its wedge-shaped forward end 84 acts by engagement with an inclined surface 96 formed on the arm III of the lever 60 to swing the lever in a direction to elevate the deflector IB far enough to carry it out of the path of movement of the driver I6. For thus operating the slide 82 there is formed on the arm 58 of the lever 34 a downwardly extending portion 98 carrying an adjustable screw IBI) which is held in adjusted position by means of a binding screw I82. The screw I08 has a head I04which is arranged to engage the projections 92 on the slide 82 and to move the slide forwardly in response to the swinging vmovement of the bell-crank lever 34 in the direction to operate the driver I6. It will be understood that by adjustment of the screw I80 relatively to the arm 50 the time in the swinging movement of the bell-crank lever 34 and consequently the time in the operative movement of the driver when the deflector is thus moved out of the path of movement of the driver may be varied. Preferably, the arrangement is such that after the legs of the staple have been curved for substantially their entire length and when the crossbar of the staple is nearly in engagement with the deflector, the deflector is moved upwardly into the position shown in Fig. 3 to permit the driver to move beyond the deflector and by continued engagement with the crossbar of the staple to embed the crossbar in the work.

In order to guard against any possibility of upward deflection of the staple legs instead of deflection toward the work or any possibility of upward bending of the crossbar of the staple between the staple nozzle and the deflector, there is formed on the nozzle I4 a projection I86 (Fig. 3) that extends into a recess I08 in the deflector I8. The lower face of the projection I06 acts as a continuous guiding wall on the intermediate portion of the crossbar of the staple between the end of the staple nozzle and the deflecting face of the deflector along which the crossbar of the staple is moved by the driver after the staple leaves the nozzle and until it is driven fully into the work.

Having described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1..In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a driver for driving staples, and a deflector for engaging the legs of each staple to curve different portions of the legs successively in the driving operation before the difierent respective portions enter the work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, of a lever swingable to operate said driver, a second lever swingable to move the deflector out of the path of movement of the driver, and a third lever for imparting to said first and second levers their swinging movements in predetermined time relation to cause the movement of the deflector out of the path of movement of the driver to occur near the end of the operative movement of the driver to permit movement of the driver beyond the deflector.

2. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a driver for driving staples in a direction inclined to the surface of work which they enter, and a deflector arranged to engage the legs of each staple to curve different portions of the legs successively in the driving operations before the diflerent respective portions enter the work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, of means for imparting to the deflector automatically at a predetermined time in each operative movement of the driver a movement in a direction substantially perpendicular to the above-mentioned surface to release each staple to the further action of the driver.

3. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a driver for driving staples, and a deflector arranged to engage the legs of each staple to curve diiierent portions of the legs successively in the driving operation before the different respective portions enter the work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, of a lever swingable to operate the driver, a second lever connected to said first-named lever for operating it to impart operative movement to the driver, and a third lever swingable to lift the deflector out of the path of movement of the driver and arranged to be operated by said second lever prior to the completion of the operative movement of the driver and after the legs of the staple have been curved to a predetermined extent.

4. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with work-positioning means, a staple guiding nozzle, and a driver for driving staples from said nozzle into the work, of a deflector automatically operative in the driving operation to curve the legs of each staple substantially throughout their lengths in planes extending laterally of the crossbar of the staple, and automatic means for then withdrawing the deflector to release the staple to the further action of the driver.

5. In a fastening-inserting machine, a driver for driving staples, a deflector for engaging the legs of each staple to cujrve different portions of the legs successively in the driving operation before the different respective portions enter the work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, means for operating the driver, and means for imparting to the deflector at an adjustably variable time in the operation of the driver a movement relatively to the driver into an out-of-the-way position.

6. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a staple guiding nozzle and a driver for driving a staple from said nozzle, of a deflector opposite to the outlet end of said nozzle for engaging the legs of each staple to curve different portions of the legs successively in the driving operation laterally of the crossbar of the staple before the different respective portions enter the work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, and mechanism for moving the deflector away from the Work to disengage it from the staple near the end of the operative movement of the driver.

7. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a driver for driving staples, means for operating said driver, and a deflector for engaging the legs of each staple to curve different portions of the legs successively in the driving operations before the difierent respective portions enter the Work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, of a lever for controlling the deflector, and means for operating said lever by another lever movable by the driver-operating means to Withdraw the deflector from deflecting position near the end of the operative movement of the driver.

8. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a driver for driving staples, a lever swingable to impart operative movement to said driver, and a deflector for engaging the legs of each staple before they enter the work and for bending said legs in planes extending laterally of the crossbar of the staple, of a second lever swingable to lift said deflector out of the path of movement of the driver, a wedge for thus swinging saidsecond lever near the end of the operative movement of the driver, and a member carried by said driver-operating lever for operating said wedge.

9. In a fastening-inserting machine, the combination with a driver for driving staples, means for operating said driver, and a deflector for engaging the legs of each staple to curve different portions of the legs successively in the driving operation before the different respective portions enter the work to cause them to follow curved paths in the work, of a lever swingable to lift said deflector out of the path of movement of the driver, a wedge movable relatively to said lever for thus swinging it, spring means for holding said wedge normally in a retracted position, and a member movable with said driveroperating means for operating said wedge to swing said lever near the end of the operative movement of the driver, said last-named member being adjustable to vary the time in the movement of the driver when the wedge is thus operated.

R. RUHR. KARL SOI-INLE. 

